FMPSD Board Passes Motion To “Consider Closure” Of Greely Road Public School

At their meeting last week, the Public School Board passed a motion to “consider closure” of Greely Road Public due to the consistent decline in enrollment.

Right now there are just over 80 students who attend the school – the lowest enrollment in the District.

“Where people are living in the community has changed so much over the years and the growth in Fort McMurray in terms of population has been on the north side of the river. So it’s been a slow decline to these kinds of numbers,” says Superintendent Doug Nicholls.

Nicholls tells Mix News this is a process to look at the future of the school, the motion doesn’t mean a closure will happen for sure.

“Certainly it’s being considered, but the motion approved by the Board at the January meeting was not to close the school, it’s to review the future, to take a look at what the parents have to say.”

“It’s really about what the programming looks like for students, what the efficiencies are for the students, staff, and the district. At the end of it, we want solid programs that meet the needs of the students.”

Nicholls notes if Greely Road does close, they have space for the kids at Beacon Hill which is 2.7 km away or parents can make other decisions.

Fort McMurray Islamic School, who is housed in the facility, won’t be impacted by the decision.

A Notice of Motion will be brought forward at the February Board meeting to have a Motion of Closure on the table, which will be followed by public consultations.

Parents, community members, and students will also have the opportunity to present to the Board.

“We’re involved in a two to three month process and we’ll see where that takes us.”